Where are we at now?: The latest Fire Alarms Standard revision

NZS 4512:2021 Fire Detection and Alarm Systems in Buildings was published over a year ago. David Prosser reviews the progress of its implementation, and discusses some of the challenges the new standard will present to the fire industry.

As chair of the Standards NZ revision committee for NZS 4512:2021, I can’t help but have a personal interest in its implementation. Fire protection is an action-oriented industry, so, as with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the “law’s delay” can test us. But I am confident our collective patience and perseverance will be richly rewarded over time.

Building Code Acceptable Solutions

Firstly, some good news! MBIE’s Building Performance division proposed in their 2022 review of the Fire Documents to cite NZS 4512:2021 (without modifications) as the Acceptable Solution for fire detection and alarm systems from 3rd November 2022, with a 12-month transition window.

New Provisions

Some of the new provisions are routine – for example the inclusion of duct smoke detection and wireless detection systems (though the latter are far from simple to deploy reliably). Other routine adjustments involve aspirating smoke detectors, search zone areas, detector and MCP location and spacing, and the installation of line-type heat detectors. There are few barriers to adoption of these changes.

Other requirements will, however, be more challenging to the industry, especially the new provisions for seismic resistance, labelling, 003 key access, service accessibility and weather protection, power supplies, Type 5 alerting, earth fault monitoring, and alerting circuit fault tolerance. It should be noted that some of these have a 4-year lead time, to allow for product modifications.

Visual Alerting Devices (VADs)

According to Google, fewer than 10,000 New Zealanders are profoundly deaf, however more than 700,000 (about 1 in 6) of us have some degree of hearing loss – an effect which increases with age. People with hearing aids often neglect to wear them, and certainly don’t use them when they are asleep (when most fatal fires occur).

It does not seem to be well understood from a compliance standpoint that NZS 4121:2001 Design for access and mobility: Buildings and associated facilities is the “Acceptable Solution for requirements of persons with disabilities” by virtue of section 119 of the Building Act 2004. This has been the case for nearly 20 years.

NZS 4121 requires visual (as well as audible) alerting devices in many public buildings. Nevertheless, at the time of writing, VADs are neither widely used nor routinely specified for fire alarm systems. Some of this will be because of the cost (8-15% extra on what is already considered to be a “grudge” purchase), some will be ignorance of the requirements, and some will be laziness or habit on the part of industry or Consenting Authorities.

VADs are widely used overseas. With advancements to LED technology are far more readily available and affordable than was the case 10 or 20 years ago. Familiarity within the fire industry is still developing, hence the extensive direction and guidance provided by the new clauses and Appendix L in NZS 4512:2021. However, the Standard cannot specify which buildings require both audible and visual alerting devices – that is the responsibility of the Acceptable Solutions and Consenting Authorities.

Prior to including any VAD requirements in the Acceptable Solutions for Fire Protection, MBIE’s Building Performance division has resolved to undertake a wider review of all building provisions around accessibility. Like Hamlet, I sincerely hope this doesn’t take forever. Accessibility is a fairness issue – lack of it is discrimination – and delay simply prolongs the unfairness.

Integrated Systems

As discussed in another article, increasingly other building systems are being interfaced with fire detection and alarm systems to provide an integrated life safety “system” for a building. Prior to the 2021 revision of NZS 4512, the requirements for routine testing of such interfaces were unclear, and each trade tended to test only their own subset.

The newly completed FPANZ Code of Practice for Integration of Building Fire Safety Systems with other Services is intended to work alongside NZS 4512:2021 to provide assurance that systems interfaces will work correctly, as defined by a “cause and effects matrix”, to preserve life in the event of a fire.

Documentation

System documentation is at heart about quality assurance. NZS 4512:2010 covered (if you can call it that) documentation in the 11 lines of clause 505: the 2021 revision, by way of a whole new section 8, devotes threeand-a-half pages to the subject.

Access to comprehensive and accurate documentation is critical if fire alarm technicians are to know what a system is supposed to do, and how it is supposed to do it. Without accurate and up-to-date documentation, there can be no confidence that the consented design has actually been implemented, validated, and is being maintained in compliance.

At present, some fire alarm systems are being thoroughly documented, while others receive the bare minimum of attention. I suggest that contractors need to improve their capability, the cost of adequate documentation needs to be included in projects, and somehow the documentation needs to be accessible to and update-able by all who will work on the system throughout its lifetime. How this happens in practice is still both a challenge and an open question.

Inspections and Inspection Bodies

While previous revisions of NZS 4512 had comprehensive requirements for monthly and annual testing, the requirements, responsibilities, and procedures for commissioning and independent testing were less clear. Again, the previous six lines of section 506 have been expanded to almost four pages, including a clearer differentiation between substantive and “minor” alterations.

These clarified requirements are already being embraced and implemented by Accredited Inspection Bodies. The onus for comprehensive commissioning testing is shifting back to the installation contractor, where it belongs.

Product certification and Listing

It is encouraging to report manufacturers starting to submit products for listing to the 2021 revision of NZS 4512. This is a process that will take time due to product design and production cycles. Much of the transition is expected to occur by way of annual revalidation declarations. For a few technically difficult transitions, NZS 4512:2021 explicitly allows a 4-year transition period.

Conclusion

While certainly not perfect, the 2021 revision of NZS 4512 is an incremental step along the path to enhanced fire protection, and clearer requirements for compliance.

The revision committee made every effort to balance real-life experience, practicality, and the need to plug gaps in the existing regime.

It will take time to fully bed-in, and some of the enhanced or clarified requirements may be tough for a few to accept. My hope is that will ultimately underpin easier compliance and safer buildings for the collective good of all New Zealanders.

David Prosser, a member of the FPANZ Board of Directors.